We all spend A LOT of our time at our place of work or if you freelance, you possibly spend time in and out of workplaces. So when it comes to trying to conceive and struggling- the one thing you really need in place is a supportive workplace.

Sadly, this often isn’t the case, which is why Natalie has teamed up with two brilliant ladies, Becky Kearns and Claire Ingle to create Fertility Matters at work.

This episode may seem a bit self-indulgent as Natalie interviews Becky and Claire, her partners in crime at Fertility Matters At Work. So please do indulge us just this once as we are on a mission: One step at a time we are looking to change how fertility issues are addressed in the workplace.

The motivation behind Fertility Matters At Work

As someone who has an HR background and experienced fertility treatments and miscarriage whilst holding down a job, Becky strongly felt so many things could have been done differently. She hears from other women just how stressful it is going through fertility treatments. Adding to the stress they are having is how they have felt that they’ve not been able to speak out, they have felt misunderstood, and even the feeling they get that they are not being supported in the workplace. Recently, Becky was featured in the latest video from Ferring Pharmaceuticals talking about one encounter she had with her boss which you can watch here.

Claire as well has an HR background and felt that she “bumbled” through her IVF treatment. Working around appointments & trying not to inconvenience her place of work. Having done so many things to not be a bother in her workplace caused Claire so much anxiety and stress. She felt she couldn’t manage both her job and her fertility treatments. Like Becky, Claire also felt that the policy in her workplace was lacking.

While Claire was running a survey on her Instagram called IVF at Work, Natalie met her through a mutual friend.

And from there, they formed a partnership with a mission.

Support in the workplace

Natalie shared her experience of not knowing who she could turn to for advice and support within her workplace.

Both Becky and Claire noticed that while they were working in HR never once did an employee come to them for support or to understand what they were entitled to.

How they are going to be perceived for openly admitting that they are trying to conceive a baby, and the assumption that women who are trying to conceive are not as committed, are just a few things employees are worried about.

Advice to employers and employees

Together they are hoping that they can increase the conversations and narrative surrounding what needs to be thought about from employers’ and employees’ perspectives. They are already getting a huge response on social media and even started gathering examples to use this to inform employers about the issues that women are facing.

Natalie, Becky, and Claire want to be able to offer advice and tips to empower women to start conversations, especially conversations if employees are trying to conceive and challenge their employers to change current policies and strategies. However, they also hope to be able to support employers to aid retention of the workforce and understanding what their generation of workers needs.

Changing policies

All organisations will differ on how easily and quickly they can change policy. Natalie, Becky, and Claire hope to be able to offer employers assistance with the development and implementation of these policies.

Socials:

Fertility Matters at Work on Insta

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